An active clinician, guest conductor and adjudicator, Dr. Rachel Samet has worked with dozens of choirs from throughout North America. She brings a broad teaching and musical background to HSU, including teaching high school, middle school, and work with diverse community ensembles. Before coming to HSU she served as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Bucknell University. Her holistic teaching approach includes kinesthetic methodologies such as Dalcròze eurhythmics and body mapping. As an advocate of new music, she has conducted several world premieres, including Brian Coughlin’s large-scale Requiem for choir and amplified chamber ensemble at Manhattan’s (Le) Poisson Rouge with C4: The Composer Conductor Choral Collective in New York City. She was invited to write several biographies of Black choral musicians for The Grove Dictionary of American Music, published in 2013. In addition to her work as a conductor, scholar, and educator, Rachel has enjoyed musical directing more than thirty stage productions. In all of her teaching and work with ensembles, she aims to help students achieve high standards while maintaining a sense of humor and enjoying the process.